Diving & Snorkeling in North America
Diving and snorkeling in North America, from Cozumel and Belize to the cenotes of the Yucatan and Florida.
North America and the Caribbean form one of the world’s great diving playgrounds, offering warm, clear water, spectacular coral reefs and an extraordinary variety of marine life. The Mesoamerican Reef, second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, runs down the region’s Caribbean edge, while the Pacific coast adds kelp forests, big animals and cool-water thrills.
The Caribbean islands and Mexico’s Yucatan set the standard for tropical diving, with drift dives, walls, wrecks and the surreal freshwater cenotes of the Riviera Maya. Central America guards Belize’s iconic Great Blue Hole, while Baja California and California offer the chance to dive with sea lions, sharks and giant kelp.
With superb visibility, excellent dive infrastructure and everything from gentle reefs for beginners to advanced technical diving, the region caters to every level. Add whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and even the chance to swim with humpback whales, and it is little wonder divers return again and again.
North America's Best Dive Sites#
Cozumel, Mexico One of the world’s most celebrated drift-diving destinations, where crystal-clear currents sweep divers along the vibrant coral walls of the Palancar and Colombia reefs. Turtles, eagle rays and abundant fish life make every dive effortless and exhilarating.
Great Blue Hole, Belize A perfect circular sinkhole more than 300 metres across and 120 metres deep, one of the most iconic dive sites on the planet. Descending its sheer walls past ancient stalactites and cruising reef sharks is a rite of passage for serious divers.
Roatan, Honduras The jewel of the Bay Islands, sitting on the Mesoamerican Reef with steep walls, swim-throughs and warm, clear water at bargain prices. Excellent dive schools and healthy reefs make it a favourite for both training and fun diving.
Bonaire A shore-diving paradise whose entire coastline is a protected marine park, letting divers simply walk in from the beach to explore pristine reefs. Calm, clear water and superb reef health make it one of the most relaxed and rewarding dive destinations anywhere.
Grand Cayman Famous for the Cayman Wall, where the reef plunges thousands of feet into the deep blue, and for the surreal Stingray City, where wild southern stingrays glide around you in the shallows. Superb visibility and easy conditions abound.
Ambergris Caye, Belize The gateway to the Belize Barrier Reef and the thrilling Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where sharks and rays gather at Shark Ray Alley. Just offshore lie some of the finest reef dives in the Caribbean.
Cancun, Mexico Beyond its beaches lies excellent diving, from the eerie Underwater Museum of hundreds of submerged sculptures to nearby reefs and the freshwater cenotes inland. It is a superb, accessible base for exploring the Yucatan’s underwater world.
Isla Mujeres, Mexico A small island off Cancun that becomes a global diving hotspot each summer, when hundreds of whale sharks gather offshore to feed. The chance to snorkel or dive alongside the world’s largest fish is unforgettable.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez, offering dramatic diving around the dropping sandfalls of the Land’s End arch and playful colonies of sea lions. The nutrient-rich waters teem with life Jacques Cousteau called ‘the world’s aquarium’.
La Paz, Mexico A gateway to the Sea of Cortez’s astonishing marine life, from sea lion colonies at Los Islotes to seasonal encounters with whale sharks and even schooling hammerhead sharks. It is one of the most exciting big-animal dive destinations in the region.
Grand Cayman’s sister islands The waters off Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall offer some of the most spectacular drop-offs in the Caribbean, plunging from shallow reef to abyss within fin-strokes. Pristine coral and abundant fish make it a bucket-list wall dive.
Nassau, Bahamas The Bahamas are renowned for shark diving, and the reefs and wrecks off New Providence offer thrilling encounters with reef and even tiger sharks. Clear water, blue holes and film-famous wrecks round out the appeal.
Turks and Caicos Steep coral walls drop dramatically just offshore, and the winter migration of humpback whales through the Columbus Passage offers a rare chance to hear and even see these giants underwater. Superb visibility and healthy reefs make it a diver’s dream.
Monterey Bay, USA For cooler-water diving, California’s kelp forests are magical, swaying golden cathedrals alive with sea otters, seals, colourful fish and the occasional curious sea lion. Diving here is a completely different, wonderfully wild experience.